This week's topic on collaborative learning was very interesting and has led me to dig deeper into the topic including research on the internet and the optional reading by Dillenbourg.  I had learned about social interdependence theory when I was an undergrad but I don't think I've come across it since. I think that it makes a lot of sense and, more specifically, Johnson and Johnson's application of the theory to collaborative learning.  I view collaboration and competition in a different way now than I did before. I grew up competing with my 3 siblings in everything we did - whether it was playing board games or getting good grades.  That drive to compete and win controlled much of my youth and the decisions I made.

Having lived with such a focus on competition, I can appreciate the Johnsons posit that collaborating with peers correlates to greater psychological health than competing with peers. A focus on winning is mentally taxing because everything from happiness to self esteem is riding on whether you attain your goal, which is to win. And since you can't always win, this way of thinking makes for plenty of frustration and unhappy moments. I agree that its critical that we take the focus off competition in education and put more focus on collaboration. Although the authors point to widespread use and success of collaborative learning in classrooms around the world, there's still quite a bit of emphasis on competition with standardized tests, grades, and programs that reward top performers. While I don't think you can or should eliminate competition from education, I think there's too much focus on it still. Too many kids are more concerned with getting good grades than trying to learn. They leads them to memorize information and to try to figure out the strategy to do well on a test, rather than engage in meaningful learning.

In our project we don't have the opportunity to employ collaborative learning in the module itself because of the context. However, the topic of collaborative learning aptly describes our group processes. Our group has been working very effectively as a team since last semester and I think the reason that we work so well together is the because we have that teamwork mindset which is, more or less, a focus on collaboration.  We have a foundation of positive interdependence in which we're working toward a shared goal with an attitude and willingness to support each other so that we can do the best that we can, collectively. I've worked in a lot of different groups but this one stands out as being more effective because of the level of collaboration that we attained within the group. I think we engage in more promotive interaction than most of the other groups I've been a part of and this is important for our sense of being supported and valued by the other members in the team.

Although we are not using collaborative learning strategies in our training, I really like the PBL approach to learning and cooperative strategies like jigsaw and peer teaching. Not only do most people learn more effectively by doing rather than listening to a lecture but when we work with others we get a deeper understanding.

John

Reflection

This week I'd like to respond to something Bryan posted. If you didn't see it here's what he said:

"This is where I get philosophical, and perhaps a touch melancholy about the state of today’s education (and world in general):

The world today is one of constantly competing resources, looming deadlines and non-stop rushing.  Reflection seems to be a skill that is slowly eroding in our social fabric.  As information is available at increasingly blinding speed and we are called to produce results all the time, pausing to reflect seems to be happening less and less.  At least I know I am guilty of this, and my observations seem to indicate I am not alone. 

The same seems to be true in our educational systems.  Schools must complete delivery of curriculum in a set amount of time.  Class sizes are growing.  So, I must ask: is reflection being sacrificed in our schools too?  I am not a professional educator.  I feel I do a decent job of monitoring my child’s education, but I am largely unaware of the actual classroom environment and instructional techniques.  Is reflection mandated?  Is it used?  Davis (2003) describes how “one size fits all” techniques for reflection prompts are not as effective as ones tailored to the individual.  Are class sizes and competing priorities resulting in non-effective or non-optimal reflective prompts?  Whether for metacognitive, observational, or other purposes, the benefits of reflection are clear, and I hope they are not being brushed aside in schools today.  To reiterate, I am not an educator, and am not asking this with an agenda.  I am genuinely curious, and am hopeful that some of the individuals in the class with a more formal educational background can shed some light on this for me."

I thought his comments were interesting for a few reasons. I also am not an educator but I have the general sense that reflection is not something that most schools are employing or teaching the kids to use. Although it's been a long time - reflection definitely wasn't an instructional technique used in the schools that I went to. In our readings in other classes we've learned about progressive schools that embrace reflection and make it a key part of the curriculum but I think these are few and far between.  It's a great point, I think this is definitely a valuable skill that needs to be brought back and emphasized in schools. But I am unsure about the point about reflection being a skill that is slowly eroding. It doesn't seem to have been a skill that was employed in schools for a few generations so maybe this skill has been long absent in schools rather than slowly on the decline. 

In talking to one elementary school teacher this week, I learned that this strategy is being used more than I thought. It sounds like it really depends on the teacher and how progressive they are in their approach to teaching, but there are more and more teachers who are using reflection than probably 20 years ago. Although this is one person's perspective, I trust their view over my limited knowledge of educational practices. Still, it sounds like there's plenty more room for improvement with the use of reflection in schools.

The other reason I wanted to respond to Bryan's blog is because he that gets "philosophical" and seems to suggest that this is unusual for him. However, getting philosophical is something quite characteristic of Academy graduates. They rather like to ponder and expound about anything and everything to whoever will listen.  If you catch him doing this - don't be alarmed, it's quite normal. 

John